Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Art Bag for our Trip

One of the reasons I've been so lax about posting is I have been busying planning our trip. We leave Thursday!

In the past couple of weeks I did manage to get one last Honu quilt ready for threadwork, but he will have to wait until I get home for finishing. But last weekend I worked on making a totebag to haul my drawing goodies as we travel. What kind of self-respecting quilt artist would I be if I used a store-bought tote bag? Besides, I had certain requirements for size, color, pockets, etc., so that demanded a custom made bag. And here it is:

Many thanks to Aly for loaning me the book (which I will have to post about later, because I can't remember the title!) that got me started! She also happened to be with me when I bought that luscious Bali fabric (background of bag and strap).

I needed it to hold my new colored pencils, a small sketchbook, a pad of watercolor post-cards, a couple of charcoal pencils, assorted paint brushes, my eraser and sporty new pencil sharpener. Not to mention my cell phone, sunglasses and small travel wallet, and maybe one magazine? OH, and my new copy of Danny Gregory's "Everyday Matters" for inspiration and an article torn out of either Cloth Paper Scissors or Quilting Arts (I can't remember which one) on sketching by Jane LaFazio. I love her stuff.

Sounds like a lot, but it will work in this bag. Here's an inside peek:

See all the room in the center on the inside? Plus it has two outside pockets.

1 comment:

Anonymous
said...

It turned out beautiful Dianna!The only thing you may wish you had done is to put a zipper on the top to keep things from sliding out in case it get turned up-side down.Have a wonderful and safe trip, I just know you're gonna love it all.

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Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), "Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?" chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death. -- Steven Pressfield, from "The War of Art."

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